As they say every Halloween, ghouls just want to have fun. But whether millions of pirates and princesses will be making their rounds on California’s streets this year in search of candy corn and peanut butter cups remains a mystery.
With Halloween just six weeks away, children and parents who are already planning their costumes and their candy-collecting routes should instead gear up for an unusual, quieter holiday, a top state health official said Tuesday.
The coronavirus pandemic means this Oct. 31 will “be quite a different Halloween,” said California Health and Human Services Director Dr. Mark Ghaly during his weekly media briefing — though he stopped short of explaining what exactly that means.
“You might wonder, ‘Should I pick up a couple of bags of candy, because I am going to anticipate, like I do every year, trick or treaters at the door?’ ” Ghaly said. “Trick or treating — the type of mixing that comes in our traditional trick or treating festivities — is really not advised under COVID.”
It was not clear whether health officials plan to prohibit trick-or-treating or allow it with mask-wearing and social distancing. In the coming weeks, the administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom will clarify rules for Halloween statewide, Ghaly said.
On Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would not ban trick-or-treating.
“I would not ban trick-or-treaters going door to door,” Cuomo said in an interview with News 12 Long Island. “I don’t think that’s appropriate. You have neighbors, if you want to go knock on your neighbor’s door, God bless you. I’m not going to tell you not to. If you want to go for a walk with your child through the neighborhood, I’m not going to tell you you can’t take your child through the neighborhood. I’m not going to do that. I will give you my advice and guidance, and then you will make the decision about what you do that night.”
Like closing beaches, the issue is fraught with political peril.
Most counties in California are still studying the issue. Last Tuesday, Los Angeles County issued guidelines banning trick-or-treating but revised the rules the next day after public outcry.
Under the new rules, Halloween gatherings, events or parties with non-household members are not permitted in Los Angeles County even if outdoors. Similarly, Halloween carnivals, festivals, live entertainment and haunted house attractions also aren’t allowed. But car parades, Halloween movie nights at drive-in theaters, Halloween-themed meals at outdoor restaurants, and Halloween decorations on homes are allowed.
Trick-or-treating is not banned but is discouraged. According to guidelines from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, it “is not recommended because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors, ensure that everyone answering or coming to the door is appropriately masked to prevent disease spread, and because sharing food is risky.”
Halloween is a $9 billion annual industry in the United States, according to the National Retail Foundation. Kids who have been cooped up for months and blocked from going to school or playing team sports are not going to give it up easily.
Another issue is enforcement, if it comes to that.
“I can’t see public safety officers handing out tickets to parents or kids who are trick or treating,” said Jason Hoppin, a spokesman for Santa Cruz County.
Hoppin said Santa Cruz County health officials are most concerned about large gatherings, particularly indoor parties.
“We don’t think we will need to ban trick or treating per se,” Hoppin said, adding: “Our main concern is going to be the Halloween party rather than the trick or treating. But it is going to be a different Halloween. I don’t think as many doors are going to be open this year. There is a fear out there. Many of the people who are most delighted at seeing kids come to their door are most at risk of COVID, particularly our elderly population.”
Researchers have reported that the risk of contracting COVID outdoors is far lower than indoors.
Not letting kids trick-or-treat at all is “an overreaction,” Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a professor of medicine and public health at University of California, Los Angeles, told the Associated Press last week.
“It doesn’t surprise me, but it’s disappointing that we continue to make policy recommendations that are not based on the evidence,” Klausner said last Wednesday after hearing of Los Angeles County’s initial ban.
The Cleveland Clinic, a prominent health center in Ohio, put out recommendations.
Kids should wear wear face masks under their costumes and could wear costumes that lend themselves well to medical masks, like doctors or ninjas, the clinic recommended. They should trick or treat in small groups, preferably only with family members. People handing out candy should wear masks, and if they are more comfortable doing so, could put candy on a table, rather than in a bowl, for kids to pick up. Others have recommended residents put tape on their porches or walkways six feet apart, for social distancing.
California may want to consider different trick-or-treating rules by county, based on each county’s color on the four-level state scale, said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at UCSF.
“I’m more concerned about gangs of middle school kids walking around rather than the little kids,” he said.
“I’d be pretty careful and go in small groups,” Rutherford said, adding that people should not drive to other neighborhoods. “We’re just coming off a second wave. We don’t want to start a third wave.”
